Giving Makes Us Glow

I’m sure you know what I mean when I say that giving makes us glow. There is something soul-satisfying about taking something that belongs to you and giving it away, just because you want to. Not because there is a tax deduction, and not because you’re told to. But because you want to share what you have with folks in need.

Over the years, we have really enjoyed lending our love and support to organizations that help educate and enrich lives. Here is a brief snapshot of the hearts and organizations we have given to. We hope you check them out and get involved, too! And remember: whether you have a single jacket to give away or a huge stack of books, the beauty of giving is priceless.

• > YouthCare (Seattle, WA) – With a mission to get homeless youth off the streets and prepared for life, YouthCare builds confidence and self-sufficiency for Seattle’s homeless youth by providing a continuum of care that includes outreach, basic services, emergency shelter, housing, counseling, education, employment training, and basic needs – like socks!

• > Campfire USA (Kansas City, MO) – With a heart for youth, Camp Fire USA creates an environment for youth to have life-enhancing experiences, and develop assets that are essential to their future. Children and families engage in all-inclusive, coeducational programs that build service and leadership skills, strengthen communities, and push youth to learn about the environment around them and what they can do to preserve it.

• >The Girls Rock Camp (Portland, OR) – With a year-round music institute plus summer camps for teenage girls and weekend day camps for women, this nonprofit uses music and performance to build self-esteem and confidence in women. In their mission to encourage social change and the development of life skills, they provide workshops, technical training, leadership opportunities, and a supportive community of peers and mentors.

• >Transition Projects Inc (Portland, OR) – As the beneficiary of a Sock Drive hosted by the city of Portland, this organization aims to serve people’s basic needs as they transition from homelessness to housing. Serving more than 9,000 people each year, they seek to see change as well as stir community awareness and compassion.

• > Mangrove Fund (Portland, OR) – Supporting sustainable development in Haiti years before the 2010 tsunami took its devastating toll, the Mangrove Fund ultimately seeks to equip and empower already established organizations that pour love and resources into impoverished Haitian communities and the thousands of orphaned children that reside there.